Strengthening Education and Professional Regulation in Nursing and Midwifery in North Macedonia

Phase II (2026–2028)

ABOUT

The project represents Slovenia’s comprehensive support to the Republic of North Macedonia in strengthening its nursing and midwifery system in line with the objectives of approximation to European standards and EU acquis, and with the help of the transfer of applicable Slovenian good practices in developing the role of the PhC nurse in family medicine, school for future parents and undergraduate/graduate education in health care. The second phase of the projects builds on the developed, tailored solutions resulting from the previous project phase (2024–2025) and consultations with relevant stakeholders. The project objectives contribute to the implementation of North Macedonia’s health strategy (2021–2030).

Objectives:

  • updated legislative framework governing higher education and the regulation of the nursing and midwifery professions in North Macedonia, which will enable alignment of national legislation with the EU acquis;
  • the approval and implementation of restructured undergraduate curriculum for nurses and for midwives, which will contribute to higher quality, safety, and accessibility of healthcare services;
  • the establishment of a national regulatory body for the nursing and midwifery professions, which will be responsible for monitoring professional standards, competencies, sustainable development of professions, and international recognition of qualifications;
  • training of nurses in primary health care with the aim of empowering them to take on an expanded role in family medicine, particularly in the areas of prevention and health promotion following the model of Slovenian health-education centres;
  • the design of “school for parents” programme in North Macedonia and training of midwifes in “school for parents, which  will contribute to better support for families and a healthy start to life;
  • development of a curriculum for the master’s level of nursing and midwifery studies and a proposal of a course catalogue for postgraduate specialized training for graduate nurses and midwives, which will contribute to workforce strengthening and higher quality of health services. 

     

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    CONNECTION TO THE PREVIOUS PROJECT

    The previous project Advancing the Nursing and Midwifery Education and Profession in the Republic of North Macedonia (2024-2025)  

    The project has made significant progress in harmonizing the education of registered nurses and midwives with European standards and has contributed recommendations on establishing a system for regulating and recognizing professional qualifications. 

    • It successfully presented the Republic of Slovenia’s good practices in the field of higher education, professional regulation, and the establishment of the Chamber of Nursing and Midwifery as a regulatory body in Slovenia.
    • Established a national curriculum for undergraduate studies.
    • Presented Slovenian good practices in integrating knowledge and skills in the field of preventive and curative tasks of registered nurses as new members of the family medicine team. 
    Analysis of the existing higher education programs for nurses and midwives in North Macedonia according to the requirements of the European Directive for regulated profession

    The project resulted in a document entitled ‘Analysis of the existing higher education programs for nurses and midwives in North Macedonia according to the requirements of the European Directive for regulated profession‘. The document analyses the education systems for nurses and midwives in the Republic of North Macedonia, focusing on the comparability of knowledge, skills and educational content of study programmes in accordance with Directive 2005/36/EC and its amendments of 2013 and 2024.

    The analysis includes a comparison of educational programmes and identification of differences between educational institutions in the country. The aim of the document is to ensure that educational content is harmonised and enables high-quality and comparable education that meets European guidelines.

    The author of the document is Prof. Dr. Brigita Skela Savič, Research Advisor and Expert in Nursing Education at the Angela Boškina Faculty of Health in Slovenia.